John Knatchbull (Royal Navy captain)

John Knatchbull (c. 1791 – 13 February 1844) was a naval captain and convict found guilty of murder in 1844. He was one of the earliest to raise in a British court the plea of moral insanity (unsuccessfully).

Knatchbull was born in Mersham, Kent, England, probably the son of Sir Edward Knatchbull 8th Baronet of Mersham Hatch.

He attended Winchester College and volunteered for the navy in 1804 serving until 1818 and rising to the rank of a captain. He served in the Ardent, Revenge, Zealand, Sybille, Téméraire, Leonidas, Cumberland, Ocean and Ajax. In November 1810 he passed his lieutenant's examination, served in Sheerwater until August 1812 when he was invalided home, and then in Benbow and Queen. In December 1813 he was commissioned to command Doterell, but missed the ship and was reappointed in September 1814. After the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, the navy was reduced and Knatchbull retired on full pay until March 1818, when his pay was stopped by the Admiralty because of a debt he had incurred in the Azores.

In August 1824 he was found guilty of stealing with force and arms at the Surrey Assizes under the name of John Fitch. Knatchbull was given a 14-year sentence and transported to New South Wales on the Asia.

In New South Wales he was assigned to Bathurst. He was given a ticket of leave in 1829 after apprehending eight runaways. His ticket was altered to Liverpool when he became an overseer on the Parramatta Road. On 31 December 1831 he was charged with forging Judge Dowling's signature to a cheque on the Bank of Australia; he was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1832. This sentence was commuted to transportation for seven years to Norfolk Island.

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